Chapter 1: The Borderlands of Scarcity

The northwest frontier of the Great Chu is vast and wide, desolate and barren.

At the westernmost end of this remote and desolate Gobi Desert lies the first pass of the Great Chu—Dieling Pass.

Dotted around Dieling Pass are dozens of military colonies of various sizes. Thirty miles to the southeast, on the edge of the Gobi, the imperial court established a courier station to facilitate the transit of battle reports and official documents. Because it is located near the Tianling military colony, it is called the Tianling Colony Courier Station.

In the frontier, the month of June brings oppressive heat. The scorching heatwaves in the air make people irritable and parched with thirst.

A sudden gust of wind swept through, but instead of bringing relief from the heat, it kicked up rolling clouds of dust.

In the woodshed behind the courier station, five-year-old Li Wuya sat on the edge of a makeshift wooden bed, sweating profusely as she held a chipped porcelain bowl, sipping water in tiny mouthfuls.

It was too hot!

It was too thirsty!

The conditions at this frontier were beyond miserable!

Water and food were scarce, and the climate was terrible—sweltering in the summer and freezing in the winter. Whenever she thought about the possibility of living here for the rest of her life, Li Wuya felt that life was full of malice toward her.

In this life, she was born into a military household. Military households were conscripted during wartime and farmed during peacetime; unless granted special permission by the imperial court, they were anchored to this frontier for generations upon generations.

She had originally thought that after transmigrating from the apocalypse, her good days were coming. Who would have guessed that Heaven would toss her onto this godforsaken Gobi Desert?

The Gobi Desert—a synonym for desolation and barrenness.

She had been transmigrated since birth for five years, and she had been complaining for five years. Judging by the current trend, she would likely continue to complain.

"Fifth Sister!"

A five-year-old boy, who looked seven or eight parts similar to Li Wuya, walked in. Like he was presenting a treasure, he pulled a tattered palm-leaf fan from behind his back, lifted his chin, and said proudly, "Auntie Fang gave it to me. Here, take it and fan yourself."

Li Wuya glanced at the little bean-sprout before her, took the fan, and handed the bowl in her hand to him: "Drink some water, your lips are dry."

Li Qilang carefully took the bowl and, just like Li Wuya, sipped the water in tiny mouthfuls, drinking it as if it were precious.

Water was extremely scarce in their area; only the military colony and the courier station had two wells.

The well in the military colony had to supply everyone in the colony, and the one at the courier station had to supply the passing troops. No one could take or use water as they pleased.

Seeing that Li Qilang stopped after only a few sips, Li Wuya said, "Drink all the water in the bowl. Once you're finished, I'll go ask for more."

She and Li Qilang were fraternal twins. Although they weren't exactly delicate or jade-like under the ravages of wind, sand, and frost—and were even a bit rough and dark-skinned—they both had blessed and likable faces.

Furthermore, unlike other children who were always disheveled, Li Wuya and Li Qilang kept themselves clean every day, so the adults naturally favored them a bit more.

As long as the request wasn't too excessive, the people at the courier station would usually satisfy them, such as giving them a few extra bowls of water.

"Mm-hmm!"

Li Qilang had always listened to Li Wuya. Hearing her tell him to finish the water, he beamed with joy and, no longer holding back, hurriedly drank it all.

Li Wuya waved the bamboo fan, fanning herself a few times, then fanned Li Qilang a few times.

*Gurgle, gurgle~*

Li Wuya’s stomach suddenly growled.

Ugh... hungry!

Touching her shriveled stomach, Li Wuya couldn't help but sigh toward the sky: "When will these days of lacking food and drink ever end?!"

The Li family only ate two meals a day. Each meal consisted of nothing but a palm-sized dry bun made of mixed flour, plus a bowl of bitter, nameless wild vegetable soup.

Even so, the Li family's fare was better than ninety percent of the households in the military colony.

The frontier was barren and bitter, and crop yields were pitifully low. Many families could only afford one meal a day. The Li family could maintain two meals a day only because Li Changsen served as a *xiaoji* (junior officer) in the garrison.

Li Changsen, Li Wuya’s father in this life, had gone to the garrison to serve as a soldier at thirteen.

In recent years, with the frontier plagued by constant warfare, he had relied on his bravery in killing the enemy to be promoted to *xiaoji* the year Li Wuya and Li Qilang turned one.

Although a *xiaoji* was only a minor seventh-rank official, he could receive a salary of seven *shi* of grain every month.

With this salary, the Li family's life had improved a little—though, of course, only a tiny bit.

There was no helping it; there were too many people in the Li family.

The Li family were hereditary military households of the Tianling Colony. Old Man Li and Old Lady Li had three sons and one daughter in total. The daughter had married into a military household in a neighboring colony, and the three sons had all married and had children of their own.

Li Changsen was the eldest, but he was the last to marry. Most people in the frontier married at sixteen or seventeen, but he didn't marry Jin Yue'e, the daughter of a mountain hunter, until he was twenty-two.

Li Changsen and Jin Yue'e had four children in total: the eldest son, Li Sanlang, was ten this year; the second daughter, Li Erya, was eight; and then there were the five-year-old twins, Li Wuya and Li Qilang.

The second and third brothers had married early; one had five children, and the other had six.

Including Old Man Li and Old Lady Li, the Li family had as many as twenty-three people.

Thinking of that whole big family, Li Wuya felt troubled again. If it weren't for those people—or even if there were just a few less—the output of the family's military land combined with her father's salary would mean they wouldn't have to live so frugally.

*Gurgle, gurgle~*

Her stomach sang the "empty city strategy" again. Li Wuya thought for a moment and hopped off the bed.

They had eaten breakfast after nine in the morning, and it had been so little. Now it was two or three in the afternoon; it would be strange if she weren't hungry.

Dinner was still an hour or two away, so she had to find a way to get something to eat.

A lingering symptom from her past life: she couldn't stand being hungry at all. Once hungry, her heart would race, and in severe cases, she would feel dizzy and faint—it was incredibly uncomfortable.

"Qilang, let's go, let's go to the kitchen and see."

Li Qilang’s face lit up. Every time he followed Fifth Sister to the kitchen, they would always manage to get something to eat. However, his expression soon turned hesitant: "Fifth Sister, didn't Third Brother tell us not to go to the kitchen? He said it would affect Mother's work."

Li Wuya paused, thought for a moment, and said, "We'll just look from outside the kitchen; we won't go in."

In this day and age, in this place, finding a job wasn't easy. Jin Yue'e being able to work in the courier station's kitchen this year was an opportunity Li Changsen had fought hard to secure, and their whole family cherished it deeply.

Regardless, with Jin Yue'e working at the station, they could at least have some income to subsidize the household expenses.

If they encountered generous guests, they might even get some leftovers.

Thinking of this, Li Wuya felt a pang of sorrow.

She had been reduced to eating other people's leftovers, and she even felt quite happy and pleased about it.

This life... she inexplicably wanted to cry!

Li Wuya clutched her shriveled stomach and led Li Qilang out of the woodshed. As soon as they stepped out, they heard a commotion from the front courtyard. Not long after, they saw the gray-haired station master hurrying toward the backyard.

Seeing the station master, Li Wuya immediately put on a smiling face, took Li Qilang’s hand, and trotted over. From a distance, she reached out to greet him, looking incredibly enthusiastic.

In the face of survival, what were face and dignity? Filling one's stomach was the real business.